USNS American Explorer

American Explorer
History
US
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS
Acquired	1958
Homeport	Beaumont, Texas
Fate	To be scrapped
Status	Grounded or sunk in the Industrial Canal?
General characteristics
Class and type	Tanker (T5-S-RM2a)
Tonnage	14,980 gross
Length	595 ft
Beam	80 ft
Draft	36.1 ft

USS American Explorer (T-AOT-165) was a tanker built for of the United States Navy. The tanker was built by Ingalls SB of Mississippi in 1958. The ship was transferred to the US Maritime Administration in 1984 and was part of the US Reserve Fleet, Beaumont Reserve Fleet, Texas. The Explorer was sold for scrap on July 8, 2008 to the Southern Scrap Metal Corporation in New Orleans, Louisiana. On August 13th, two weeks before hurricane Gustav struck the Southeastern Louisiana coastline, the tanker was moved to New Orleans' Industrial Canal.

The Florida Avenue Bridge was struck and damaged by one of two military ships during hurricane Gustav

Adrift and sunk during Gustav

During the night of August 31, 2008 or early morning of September 1, 2008, as Gustav approached the coast of Louisiana, two clusters (Export Courier) of ships were dislodged from their moorings and broke free. The American Explorer was shown in video coverage to be one of two military vessels (along with USS Hunley (AS-31)) that ran into the Florida Avenue Bridge. After hitting the bridge the ships then ran into two concrete pile-barriers that protect pump station #19 that serves the 9th ward of New Orleans. A US Coast Guard tug eventually pinned the ships into position so that they would not move. Joel Dupree of Southern Scrap Metal Corporation claims the Corps of Engineers were testing docks on the Industrial canal that prevented moving the ships prior to Gustav entering the Mississippi River, and that the American Explorer was properly anchored during the storm. However, the level of the surge and winds were sufficient to break their moorings. The USCG however said that it had recommended that ships double-up mooring lines prior to the storm. Shortly after the peak of the storm reporters for a local radio station went to the Florida Avenue bridge and reported the damage as being minor.

Another naval ship, the Courier and two barges were involved in separate incidences at the Almonaster rail bridge and a proximal pump station. As a consequence of these events all vessels to be removed from the Industrial Canal in advance of gale-force wind conditions, and Southern Scrap Metal Corperation was told to remove all floating vessels for the duration of the 2008 season. A investigation has been launched by the USGC into the corperations operations prior to Gustav.